Panthers’ Sam Bennett’s reaction to last-minute Olympic nod will warm your heart

Ten different members of the Florida Panthers have now been named to Olympic rosters. It was initially just nine players, with Sam Bennett being left off the initial Team Canada roster, despite playing for the team at the 4 Nations Face-Off. With an injury to Anthony Cirelli, Bennett has been added to the roster.

Now, Bennett is reacting to getting the call to join teammates Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart in representing their home nation, per Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic.

“Amazing day yesterday,” Bennett said with a smile. “You go from being super disappointed and just thinking about what more I could have done or what I could have done differently. Just tried to play the rest of the year and not think about it too much. To get that call yesterday, it’s really something I’ve dreamt about as a kid and thought about every day since last year, putting on that jersey. To say it meant a lot to me is a huge understatement. Because it really meant the world.”

It was a surprising decision that the Panthers’ forward was not on the roster when names were announced at the end of December. He played in three games and had one goal for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but it was a massive goal. He scored the game-tying goal in the gold medal game against the United States. That would lead to overtime, where Connor McDavid won it for Canada.

“It’s been pretty difficult,” Bennett added about the initial snub. “I was super disappointed. I tried not to let that affect my game or my life. Still tried to come to the rink with a smile every day and work as hard as I can. In the back of your head, you always think there’s going to be a chance. But you never really know. Definitely fighting a lot of tough thoughts and battling, trying to move on from it, stick it out and stay with it. In the end, it worked out for me. I’m very grateful for that.”

Canada is a favorite to take home gold at the Olympic Games, something they have not done since 2014. Now, Bennett will have a chance to add gold medal winner, two-time Stanley Cup champion, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner on his resume.

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